Saskatchewan HIPA amendment good but not enough

Dec. 3, 2014

According to NAID-Canada members, the amendments to Saskatchewan’s Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) do not go far enough. These amendments were recommended by a working group formed after a large cache of medical records were found abandoned in 2012.

“It’s great that they are proposing medical information custodians be held accountable for abandoned records,” said NAID-Canada Chairman Kevin Perry. “But there is still no provision in the law defining the obligation to destroy discarded health records.”

In addition to accountability for abandoned medical records, other new provisions proposed by the amendment make unnecessary access to medical records (described as “snooping”) a violation and create a mechanism for the province to take possession of medical records that are abandoned.

NAID-Canada has officially commented on the proposed rule to the Saskatchewan legislature, recommending additional accountability while reminding them of the glaring omission.